


Forbidden Love

by Icy_Hot_Soba



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: Atem won't at first, I Don't Even Know, Kaiba isn't willing to admit his love, M/M, The typical prideshipping story, Who's gonna admit it first?, Yami Yuugi | Atem has his own body
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-20 09:17:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14891858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icy_Hot_Soba/pseuds/Icy_Hot_Soba
Summary: After months of neglecting dueling, Seto continues to refuse to enter a tournament, even if it is his own. With that on his mind, Mokuba discovers his brother has a mystery lover and won't rest until he discovers who it is. Also, Yugi and Joey are on the phone, and Atem won't duel unless Kaiba does?





	1. Just Admit it, Big Bro

**Author's Note:**

> For this story, I chose to let Atem have his own body simply to make things easier.

“I don’t have time for love.”

“Seto, you’re being dramatic…” Mokuba let out a helpless sigh after his brother’s comment. He knew Kaiba would say something along those lines, but as of late, even Mokuba could see that someone had caught his tough loving CEO’s interest. It was a mix of several oddities in Seto’s behavior: avoiding any subject remotely related to love, easily getting caught up in a daydream, lack of motivation, taking the easy way out instead of arguing his point. Maybe it was just a phase. Either way, Mokuba was determined to uncover the truth.

“...but you didn’t say there wasn’t someone.”

“Mokuba, if you ever use double negatives in a sentence again-”

“Stop avoiding the question!”

As Mokuba yelled, he made a short sprint for the door that awaited the brother’s a couple of steps before them. Standing in front of it, Mokuba stood tall with both arms stretched fully which caused Seto to halt. For someone twice his size, Kaiba could easily push him aside and continue on his way, yet such an action would only succeed in encouraging Mokuba’s imagination. Though, imagination was hardly the word to use, even if it was how Kaiba chose to comprehend this situation. In truth, Seto was at a loss for it all. Sure, he felt _something_ for someone else other than Mokuba, which was a feat in itself, but was it love he felt? The mere thought was laughable.

“If I say yes, will you stop this nonsense?”

“No! Now you’re just saying yes, so I stop asking. Swear.”

“You’re joking…”

Of course, Mokuba’s face stayed solemn. The young apprentice slowly raised his nearly closed hand above his head. Seto stared at his brother’s hand, focusing on the exposed pinky at the end of it with disdain. Seto’s younger brother had picked up this annoying habit, according to Kaiba, after seeing a set of twins perform the act in public a few years back. Ever since, it had become Mokuba’s way of forcing Seto into the truth, but this time was different. Unless Kaiba was willing to admit his feelings, he lacked an actual answer. So, Seto crossed his brother’s pinky with his only to hesitate with a response,”I...don’t know.”

As Mokuba’s face warped into disbelief, a smile fell upon it as he let out a warm chuckle,”You’ve fallen hard, big bro.”

“Move, Mokuba.”

While Mokuba did step aside, Kaiba did not pass through the door alone. Both boys entered Kaiba’s office which was as clean as ever. The simple design of the room made for a futuristic feel: one set of matching, pure white couches, a table in between, and Kaiba’s desk setup was all he needed. Seto headed straight for his chair, quickly plopping down as he accessed his computer. On the other hand, Mokuba laid on one of the matching couches, laying on his stomach with his elbows propped against the arm of the couch to hold his head in place.

Without wasting a second, Seto became enthralled in his work. Today, he had a series of plans to oversee, shut down, and approve, but with what events just took forth beyond this room’s entrance, Mokuba’s intentions were to discover who his brother’s crush was. This would mark the first time Kaiba openly admitted to feeling something for someone; it was probably the first time he did. Though Seto said he didn’t know, Mokuba _knew_ this was more.

“Seto, let’s play a game.”

“I’m busy, Mokuba.”

“Pleeeeeease, Seto. You just have to answer a few questions.”

“This better not have anything to do with your fantasy of me having a mystery lover.”

Mokuba blinked without speaking for a bit. How could he trick Seto into opening up about it? Of course, Mokuba’s prolonged silence simply peaked Seto’s suspicion. Kaiba glanced passed his computer desktop to see an awestruck Mokuba staring back at him. Mokuba’s poker face quickly dwindled into an awkward smile, thus confirming his older brother’s thoughts.

“I’m not talking about this, end of discussion.”

“But Seto-“

“I said, end of discussion.”

This fantasy had become a nuisance in mere minutes. He didn’t have time to waste on something that would never be. If not for the fact this feeling was a one way street, it would only be a matter of time before his personal life interfered with his business, which was not an option.

Regardless of his brother’s stubbornness to express himself, Mokuba kept his mind racing to think of a way to get Seto to open up. If he asked a question, Kaiba would tell him to leave. All that was left was to demand until he got what he wanted, so Mokuba did just that,”Seto, tell me who it is.”

“Mokuba, you’re making this out to-“

“Just tell me, Seto!”

All Kaiba could do was sigh. Mokuba was overly persistent this morning. Pinching the arch of his nose, Seto closed his eyes tightly. Kaiba rarely hid anything from Mokuba, and this matter was not something worth avoiding as he had been making it out to be. Seto exhaled slowly, lowering his hand to glance at Mokuba,”Fine. If you can guess who it is after three questions, I’ll tell you if you guess right.”

“Deal! Do I know ‘em?”

“Yes.”

“Score! Do they work here?”

“No.”

“Hm…”

The questions were too broad; three would never be enough for Mokuba to determine who this mystery person was unless he got lucky. That was Seto’s hope, and it seemed to be working. Mokuba was at a loss. He glanced up at the ceiling, running through the people they’ve met outside of work. Unfortunately, that was a long list of contestants. Mokuba tapped a finger on his chin as he asked himself,”Who do we know outside of work?”

“Should I consider that a question?”

“Ah, no! I’m just thinking out loud!”

 _Perfect._ Kaiba stared at his younger brother with a smirk. Mokuba had turned to playing with the lower locks of his hair, a nervous tick of his, until a sudden realization struck him. In one swift action, Mokuba pushed himself up by the arm of the couch, so his body was now fully elongated as he stood on his knees. With a valiant smile, Mokuba pointed directly at his brother,”They’re from the nerd herd!”

Kaiba’s sapphire eyes twitched unintentionally. Somehow, Mokuba managed to narrow the list down to a handful of people. Seto was beginning to think his brother had about as much luck as Wheeler. Before Mokuba could speak again, a small screen to the left of Kaiba’s computer lit up with the face of a women.

“What is it?”

The middle aged secretary cleared her throat quietly before replying. Her hair was short, laying right on top of her shoulders, and held a hint of auburn amongst her brunette curls. With enough makeup on her face for three women, she glanced at the screen before her. The young man on the screen was familiar. Batting her eyelashes from a speck of mascara that had begun to run, she turned back to the screen that showed her impatient boss.

“It’s Joey Wheeler on the line, sir.”

Kaiba let out a long sigh,”Put him through.”

As the screen switched from the secretary to a pair of school dressed boys, Mokuba raced over to stand beside his brother. He smiled, waving to greet them,”Hey, guys!”

“What do you want, Wheeler?” Kaiba curtly asked. Seto may have temporarily avoided one problem, but another one was bound to arise. The last and only time Joey had ever called, it was to request a plane. Kaiba could only assume this time would be much similar.

On the other hand, the reason behind Joey’s call was rather selfless. Joey was accompanied by Yugi who was barely visible on the screen, due to his shorter stature. Hearing the tone carried with Kaiba’s question, Joey turned away from their screen. He shook his head in disgust,”I told ya’ we shou’dn’t a called ‘im.”

“We looked at the list of duelists for the Battle City Tournament and didn’t see your name.” Yugi said with an innocent tone. The young duelist accompanying Joey seemed a bit nervous, as was his nature though.

“That’s because I’m not participating.”

“In your own tournament?”

“Again?”

As if one person with rapid fire questions, Yugi and then Joey asked away. They had less tact then intended as their nature was based solely on curiosity. Of course, Seto had little patience, especially with these two. His schedule was stacked, and nothing could change that.

“If that was the basis of this call, you two need to find a better hobby.” Finishing his crude remark, Seto took a sip of the caffe espresso from his porcelain cup sitting at the edge of his desk. While Kaiba was the one with harsh words it was Mokuba who knew why he spoke with such disdain. It had been months since his brother had touched a duel disk let alone even spoke about his cards or a tournament. It was another trait Mokuba had come to miss, Kaiba’s boasting and overbearing pride for dueling.

Yugi shook his head hard enough for his hair to continue to bounce long past he stopped the action. He spoke much faster this time with increasing volume,”Yami said he wouldn’t join the tournament if you weren’t in it!”

For now, the line kept steady with static carrying in the background. No one spoke, yet everyone understood the other’s reactions. While Mokuba’s eyes widened from his shock of Yugi’s statement, Seto nearly choked on his lukewarm coffee. Kaiba quickly swallowed the contents that resided in his mouth and coughed to fully clear his throat. On the other side of the screen, Yugi had dropped his gaze, noticing small specks of dirt that had gathered on his worn pair of shoes. He regretted his forwardness immediately after speaking. Joey huffed, placing a hand on his hip while he waved the other loosely in the open air,”Greeeeat, ya’ just hadda say it. Didn’t ya?”

With a breath of relief as his coughing seized, Kaiba questioned his past rivals,”What do _I_ have to do with _him_ entering a tournament?”

Joey shrugged with a rebuttal,“Ya’ think he’s tellin’ us anythin’?”

“He said it wouldn’t be a competition if you weren’t dueling. Anyways, Yami’s been kinda quiet lately…”

The young look alike cut himself short. What Yugi said was factual, but it was all he could bare to tell. He had no reason or speculation as to why the Pharaoh had become such an introvert as of late. Of course, this would not satisfy Kaiba,”Of course it wouldn’t be. What do you mean by quiet?”

“I don’t know. He just keeps to himself more.”

“It doesn’t matta. What matta’s is he ain’t duelin’ if you don’t, so enter and that’s that.”

“I don’t take orders from anyone, Wheeler. Especially not from a third rate duelist who relies on luck to win his matches. Second, have Yami meet me at the Amorino by your Grandfather’s card shop at nine tonight.”

Without waiting for either teenager to argue against his word, Kaiba turned the monitor off. Joey was able to yell something along the lines of _“That’s it, Rich Boy,”_ but Seto had long since stopped listening. Without wasting his time, Seto began typing up a response letter for work. It took all of five seconds for Kaiba to sense the unsettling feeling that someone was watching him.

“Mokuba, I don’t have time for-” Seto would have completed his statement if he had kept his eyes glued to his computer. After sensing Mokuba’s stare, he turned to see his brother with a very large grin; the smile practically filled his face. This forced Kaiba to stop typing.

“What has you so happy?”

While Mokuba’s expression stayed gayous, he opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it. The young lad knew what he was about to say in front of Kaiba was dangerous, little brother or not. Before speaking, Mokuba made the valiant choice to take several steps away from his brother, enough to be next to the pale white sofa, before continuing,”You’re going on a DATE! You’re FIRST date.”

Neither brother moved, but the air was tense. Mokuba kept a shitty grin as Seto’s face stayed as solemn as ever. Though their actions were practically simultaneous, it was Seto who made the first move. As Kaiba stood out of his seat, Mokuba bolted out the door. The young Kaiba ran so fast he almost ran into the automatic door before it could open.

For Seto’s sake, he was lucky to have cleared the room. As realization set in of the hasty plans he had made just minutes ago, a raging fire grew in his cheeks and his heart began to race as time seemed to stop completely. This sensation was new and not one welcomed by Kaiba. He plopped back into his chair, laid his head against the glass desktop and wrapped his arms around his head.

_What am I doing?_


	2. The Game of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These two wind up at a coffee shop, and you'll never believe what happens...

The time read 7:58 as Kaiba glanced at his Jaegar LeCoultre securely fastened on his left wrist. Two minutes was plenty of time to buy coffee for himself and Yami before the Pharaoh would show, as he assumed Yami would be _fashionably_ late as he generally was with his geek squad.

Seto stepped out of his sterling black limo, onto the sidewalk, with a pair of freshly polished ebony boots. This was the only item Seto wore by choice, as Mokuba insisted on choosing his brother’s outfit for tonight. Instead of slacks, Kaiba wore formed black jeans that were ripped over his right thigh as well as his left knee. Seto’s top was a simple button up, liquid silver shirt currently tucked into his pants with his signature locket laying over top. Mokuba forced Seto to leave with the top two buttons unfastened, but that quickly changed on Kaiba’s voyage. 

As Seto neared the entrance to Amorino, he heard a familiar voice behind him,”Kaiba, I almost did not recognize you.”

Caught off guard, Seto cocked his head toward the voice. Off in the distance to his right was none other than the Pharaoh himself, sitting at a round eggshell table for two. On top of the table were a couple of fairly large sized cardboard cups. To Kaiba’s surprise, he was not the only one wearing attire that differed from the norm.

Atem’s clothes seemed simplistic, yet they were anything but. His long sleeved shirt was visibly white silk with rolls, giving off the appearance of an antique robe. The shocking part of Yami’s attire were his shorts: simple jean shorts with an exclamation on the word _short_. Kaiba was sure the navy blue material would disappear when the Pharaoh stood if not for the right side of his shirt being tucked in. The last of Yami’s attire were his ordinary worn boots and his most prized possession, the Millenium Puzzle dangling securely from its golden chain around his neck. It was certainly a mismatched outfit, yet Kaiba had no complaints.

Quickly changing directions, Seto made his way over to the table. He sat in the empty seat across from the Pharaoh, a bit annoyed that Yami had beat him here. Kaiba’s annoyance carried through his speech, though most would not notice,”I didn’t expect you to show so early.”

“...and I did not expect to be meeting with you, but here we are.”

Seto took a pause from the conversation to take a sip of coffee. It was dark blended espresso. He set the cup down to stare at it for a second.

“How did you know?”

With his hands wrapped around his cup to keep them warm, Yami looked off in the distance at nothing in particular; as long as it wasn’t Seto. A small flower on the bush beside them caught his eye. The flower was a bowl shape with each petal curved up. The shade was a violet purple; they reminded him of Lotus flowers often grown in Egypt.

“Um, I overheard Mokuba say it once.”

Instead of replying with words, Kaiba chose to nod. With crisp air biting at his exposed arms, it did not help the situation from feeling any less awkward. Seto could feel his heart pounding heavy in his chest; the sound rippled through his ears. He sighed, glancing up at Yami,”Your friends called me.”

“Yes, I figured…” Atem’s voice trailed off as he spoke. If his hand had not been forced when Joey questioned him about preliminaries, this conversation would never have taken place. Though, his heart told him otherwise. When Atem first heard Kaiba wanted to see him, he was in shock. His mind raced, and his heart fluttered up until this very moment. The feeling was as amazing as it was intoxicating. Even so, Atem knew he could not allow his passion to persuade his destiny.

“It’s your duty to duel as last year's champion of the Battle City Tournament, but…”

“Is title all you ever speak of, Kaiba?”

“Would you let me finish?”

In his defence, Atem spoke before hearing Kaiba say “but.” Even so, this was Seto’s one turn off, his beliefs behind what having a title meant. Upkeep, meaning, it was all so to Kaiba in Yami’s mind, but Atem himself felt the exact opposite of it.

As for Seto, he took the pause to plan out his words,”...but, you owe it to yourself as well as your friends to enter.”

In all honesty, Atem did not know how to comprehend those words. For once, Kaiba spoke without regard for personal gain. Yami was at a complete loss of words, and it showed on his face. The Pharaoh was awestruck in every sense of the word.

Kaiba quickly spoke to lighten the mood,”If you choose not to duel, Wheeler may actually have a chance at winning my tournament, and I can’t have that.”

As much of a friend as Joey was, Yami could not help but smirk at Kaiba’s remark. A small chuckle even made its way past the Pharaoh’s acute lips. Atem raised his eyes enough to glance at Seto who was taking a sip of coffee. As Kaiba brought his cup down, their eyes locked for a few seconds.

Both men stared, assuming the other would turn away, but neither yielded. Seto’s sapphire eyes met with Atem’s ruby pupils as time seemed to still. The mere seconds ticked by as both men felt fire ignite amongst their cheeks. It was at this time, in unison, that both men jerked their heads in opposing directions, Yami toward the lotus and Kaiba at his watch.

The time read 8:05. Seto sighed, turning back to his coffee,”I should get going.”

“If I may, why have you opted out of this tournament?”

While Yami became entranced in the lotus, Kaiba glanced up at his rival,”I don’t have time for dueling.”

“Did you not say some time ago I owed it to myself, and my friends, to duel? What makes you and I so different in that phrase?”

Nothing was the answer, and Kaiba knew it was were Yami was leading. In his heart, Seto knew Atem was right, but his mind refused to cave in to his desires.

“I’m a CEO.”

“And I am a Pharaoh.”

“I’m glad we’ve established that.” Kaiba remarked, finishing with a huff.

It was Yami’s turn to take a risk. The Pharaoh fidgeted in his seat, hunching over his coffee a bit more than before. However, his gaze did not stray from the pure violet flower. Atem spoke softly,”What if I requested you duel in this tournament?”

“You’re asking me to duel?”

“Would you?”

Something in Atem’s tone off set Kaiba. It seemed as though the Pharaoh was begging him, and for once, Seto saw hope in a situation he promised himself never to pursue. So, the young CEO decided to test his luck.

“Perhaps if you told me the real reason you’re so keen on me dueling in this tournament, Pharaoh.”

“That, I can not.”

Contemplating whether his high risk action was worth taking, Kaiba took one last gulp of his coffee. As Yami sipped from his cup, Seto stared at his rival. Kaiba’s next move would be on every news station, every social media outlet, but for once, the prestiged business owner set out to do what was in his personal interest.

The Pharaoh had yet to notice his rival’s concocting. His white macchiato soothed his parched throat. Setting his cup down, Atem finally felt Seto’s stare. Yami tilted his head up to meet Seto’s gaze out of habit, but what he was met with was much more than just that.

Kaiba leaned forward, placing both of his forearms on the chilled table top. His spiral locket dangled inches above Atem’s cup. The Pharaoh’s eyes widened to the size of quarters at the sight of this. Though, he felt he should move, Yami was incapable of such an act.

“Let’s play a little game, Pharaoh. I’m going to lean forward-“

“Kaiba.”

“...and if you like me, don’t move.”

“One day, I will return to my time to fulfill my destiny. I can not-“

“Then, stop me.”

Yet as Kaiba closed the empty space between them, Atem did not falter, and Seto did not hesitate. Kaiba lightly pressed his lips against Atem’s, keeping his eyes on the Pharaoh. Seto examined his lover’s face, studying the fine details he never had the chance to notice. For the first time, he saw just how heavy the Pharaoh’s eyeliner was.

Yami leaned in a bit closer, tightly shutting his eyes. Any thoughts of his future faded from the Pharaoh’s mind. Atem stayed with the moment, smiling as he pulled away from Seto.

Kaiba smirked as he sat back down,“Looks like I win this time, Pharaoh.”

“Save it, Kaiba.”


	3. Blooms Until the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atem contemplates life while Yugi answers the door to a man handing him a box and flowers for Yami. Way to keep things secret, Kaiba.

A cool breeze whistled through the inch gap left between the window and ceil beside Yami’s bed. The Pharaoh had been staring at his ceiling since he awoke this morning, some two hours ago. His mind circled with the events of last week. It was baffling, the thought that _he_ had kissed _Kaiba_ , in public no less.

This incident was so surreal that Yami had pushed the entire event to the back of his mind since _it_ occurred. Though the waking hours of today presented this event to the Pharaoh, forcing him to analyze every second of _it_ : the events leading up to _it_ and after. His nerves had dulled most of what lead up to _it_ , so there was little to process there. Of course, after it left plenty to think on.

After _it_ occurred, Yami simply listened to Kaiba speak. He remembered the conversation quite well as Seto’s monologue on how he was okay with the fact that Yami would one day have to return to his time was rather impactful. Atem had been confused at the time; how could anyone be willing to accept such terms? But, Seto did, and he said they should be happy while they could be, or something along those lines. Most of Yami’s replies had been simple one worded agreements.

Seto stood to leave, and Yami had quickly stood in unison. He wanted to ask Seto to stay a bit longer, but the words would not form off his tongue. Atem just stared at Seto, and then _it_ happened again. Yami would have ran off if not for Kaiba speaking as soon as it was over. The Pharaoh remembered his words as clear as when he had first heard Seto say them,”I’m looking forward to seeing you again, Pharaoh. I should ask if you’d like a second date.”

Oh, such an easy response, Yami thought. All he had to say was _yes_. Of course, that word was not spoken. Instead, Atem said,”Maybe.” The thought of this moment sent Yami’s mind spiraling, his face instantly brightening to the shade of a freshly picked tomato. Though Atem could have spent hours reliving this nightmare, a knock on the door distracted him.

"Um, Yami? These came for you…” Yugi stepped into the room with a full bouquet of violet blue lotus. The small lad seemed perplexed, holding them out a bit.

It took less than five seconds for Yami to jump off the bed and rush at Yugi, startling the boy unintentionally. Atem snatched the bouquet with one hand, utilizing his other to lightly shove Yugi out of their room through the open door in front of him.

Yugi took several steps back, tightly holding onto the box that had come along with the flowers. Of course, Yami was far too focused on throwing Yugi out to see the black compact container.

"Yami, wait! This came, too! Do you have any idea who-“

Atem took the box and slammed the door in one swift action,”No, thanks!”

The young boy tilted his head, scratching the back of it lightly as he sighed. Heading down stairs with a bit of contemplation, Yugi spoke to himself,“That was odd…”

As for Yami, his heart felt as though it had gained the wings of a Kuriboh, fluttering out of his body entirely. All he could do was stare at the bouquet in his hand. They were fresh, just bloomed, and completely extravagant in every sense of the word. It seemed out of place to see such a familiar, yet very foreign to his current location, flower so close.

Suddenly, a soft buzzing came from the compact box; it vibrated through to Yami’s hand. Walking over to the desk he shared with Yugi, Atem set the bouquet on its table top. The Pharaoh also set the box down, immediately opening it to see a bright white screen that read Seto on it with a small green and red icon below the name. Both circles had an outline of a phone in them. Atem picked up the phone, pressing the green icon before holding it to his ear.

"Hello?”

“I see you received my package.”

“I did…”

The line filled with silence. Yami stared at the lotus on his desk, then adjusted his gaze out the window. The Pharaoh took a deep breath before questioning,”Kaiba, what is this?”

"Not the _thank you_ I was hoping for, but it’ll do. I saw you staring at those cheap knock-offs last week, but I figured you would rather see the originals...and it’s Seto for you.”

"Yes, thank you, Kai- I mean, Seto. I just was not expecting this.”

Yami stumbled over words, only making his nerves worsen. He was simply in shock, and it was obvious, even to Seto. Atem heard a soft chuckle over the line before Seto spoke once again,”You’re adorable.”

What Seto heard was a loud bang before more silence, which only put a smile on the man’s face. That statement was more than enough to throw Atem over the edge. Yami held his face with both his hands, taking a very deep breath before exhaling ever so slowly. Atem picked up the phone, glancing back at the lotus as he spoke,”I really appreciate this, Seto.”

"Did you see the ticket?”

"The ticket?”

"Look at the flowers.”

So, Atem did as commanded. He picked up the bouquet, spinning it to reveal a solid white square of paper slipped into the ribbon holding the bouquet together. Yami set the flowers down, picking up the blank slip. Turning the ticket over, it read: “Yami Yugi, you have been invited to participate in a special event to win the Battle City Tournament.” Atem smiled as he read the message to himself,“Did you call to see if I would accept?”

"No, I called to tell you that your opponent has already accepted his invitation.”

To this, Yami could not help but titter through his smirk. When it came down to formalities, nothing had really changed. They were still rivals, just rivals in love. Those words felt synonymous at this point. Knowing they could love and still keep things as they were filled Atem with a much needed relief.

"So, this _opponent_ you speak of. What is he like?”

"Some trillionaire asshole with a nice ass.”

This time, Yami refrained from acknowledging the joke, even though he _did_ find it humorous. Instead, Atem requited,“Then, I guess I should be looking forward to this duel.”

"You should be.”

Atem set the white slip of paper on his desk and walked over to his bed, sitting on the edge of it. Just before flopping his back onto the bed, laying opposite one is supposed to, Yami spoke,”I should not keep you from your work.”

There was a groan on the other end before Seto demanded,”Before I go, there’s a stipulation if you want to keep the phone I gave you.”

"Of course there is…”

"You have to text me at least once a day to keep it.”

"I think I can manage that.” Yami’s smile grew as he stared at the ceiling. The breeze from before came back through the window, swaying the ends of his long locks.

"I’ll see you at the tournament, Yami.”

"Yes, and…” Atem’s pause was not intentional, it was simply hard to think of what exactly to say. He had never been good at showing affection, knowing when he spoke out of turn, or accidentally saying something he was not yet ready for anyone to hear. Yami smiled a bit brighter as he uttered,”Thank you, Seto. I love you.”

"I know.”

Atem set his cell beside him, laughing as he did so. Yami stood up, still chuckling as he walked past the bouquet. With a large smile plastered on his face, Atem waltzed to the closed entrance of his room. Opening the wooden door, Yami took one step out as he called down the hall,”Yugi, I need to go to the store!”

"Sure, why?”

"I need to buy a vase!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you for those who made it all the way to this comment. I fell in love with this story, and next thing I knew, it became WAY more than I intended it to be. I hope you enjoyed, and stay tuned for more. I will definitely write about these two again!


End file.
